Community Corner
Update: More Details Emerge in Redmond Massage Therapist's Death
Bellevue police have arrested a man in connection with the death of Nataliya Vabishchevich, 35, a Redmond massage therapist discovered dead--stabbed 72 times--in her Bellevue condominium Monday.
King County prosecutors have filed first-degree murder charges against Aleksandr Polak, the ex-husband of Nataliya Vabishchevich, 35, who was discovered dead in her Bellevue condominium Monday.
Updated 4:32 p.m.
Detectives initially interviewed Polak, 46, in Bellevue on Monday, and arrested him on Thursday, after they followed him to Los Angeles by boarding the same Greyhound bus he was taking to southern California, according to charging documents.
Passengers told investigators that Polak, originally from Latvia, had spoken of getting to an airport in Mexico and flying to Europe, according to charging papers.
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The couple had a son who was at middle school the morning of June 17, when his mother was found in her home at the Tenth Place at Bellevue condominium complex, according to the charging papers. An autopsy showed that she had been stabbed more than 72 times, according to court papers.
Vabishchevich was discovered just before noon by a co-worker who had checked on her when she failed to show up at her job as a massage therapist at Eastside Life Chiropractic clinic.
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Vabishchevich told her friends that her ex-husband was a "dangerous individual," according to charging papers, but her friends told investigators that she did not seem to be in danger when they last spoke a month ago.
The couple divorced in 2007. Several friends told investigators that Polak said in the past that he would kill Vabishchevich. A former colleague of Polak's said that Vabishchevich told him several times that if something happened to her, that it would be her ex-husband who did it.
Investigators interviewed Polak on Monday after the discovery of her body.
Relatives told police that about a month ago, Polak moved in with his mother in downtown Bellevue and visited frequently at his sister's condominium complex, which is adjacent to Vabishchevich's complex. But, he told police that he hadn't seen his wife or son since 2010, according to charging papers.
Polak told police that his wife did not have a high opinion of him, and that an attempt to reconcile with her in 2010 failed.
Most recently, he said to police, he was living in a basement in Edmonds. He told police he had been swimming at Richmond Beach Saltwater Park in Shoreline the morning of Vabishchevich's murder, according to charging papers.
Investigators said that Polak had several scratches and cuts on his hands and neck. Investigators also said tests showed positive reactions to blood in the car he had been driving on Monday, including on the driver's seat belt, the inside door handle, stick shift and steering wheel.
On Tuesday, a Bellevue detective saw Polak buy a Greyhound bus ticket leaving Seattle to San Diego on Wednesday. Two detectives also boarded the bus and followed Polak, and interviewed passengers who spoke with him.
The passengers told investigators that Polak had talked about getting to an airport in Mexico and flying to Europe. According to charging papers, Polak had $5,000 hidden in his cap when he was arrested.
Polak, 46, was arrested in Los Angeles Thursday where he remains in custody pending extradition back to Washington, according to a statement from the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office. King County prosecutors are requesting that the defendant be held without bail, according to a statement from the Prosecuting Attorney's Office.
Charging papers say that Polak stabbed Vabishchevich more than 72 times in her unit at the Tenth Place at Bellevue condominiums, the morning of June 17, after their son had left for middle school for that day.
She was discovered dead by her co-worker after she failed to show up for her job as a massage therapist in Redmond.
Police initially interviewed Polak on Monday, but arrested him at a Greyhound bus stop in Los Angeles Thursday after he left the Seattle area, according to court documents. Passengers told police that he had spoken about getting to Mexico, according to charging papers.
Original story posted at 10:49 a.m.
Vabishchevich was found dead in her home at the Tenth Place at Bellevue Condominiums after she failed to show up at her massage therapy job at Eastside Life Chiropractic in Redmond. A co-worker from Eastside Life discovered her in the entryway of her home after she failed to show up for work, police and co-workers said.
She also worked as a massage therapist at Pure Chiropractic in Bellevue.
The man was described as a 46-year-old Edmonds man and was arrested by Bellevue officers in Los Angeles, CA Thursday night with the assistance of US Marshalls and the Los Angeles Police Department, according to the Bellevue Police Department.
The man is being held in Los Angeles pending extradition by California authorities. The investigation by Bellevue police continues at this time, according to the Bellevue Police Department.
This is the first homicide in Bellevue in 2013. Last year, there were two homicides; one resulted in a conviction and the other one is pending trial.
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